I'd like to find a local "learn how to weld" course but our local CC only offers full on AWS certified welding course, 90 hours, $2600 8-3:30 PM 5 days/week. That excludes that possibility for me.

 

My first real taste of fabrication and welding was on my Jeep, I dabbled with stick welding on my at the time, girlfriends parents farm ( we’re married now) but I was a machinist already and like building so figured welding and fab was a next step for me! It’s an addictive hobby/skill to say the least, and my most chill times are behind the hood working on fun projects!

 

One day out on the trail, you will become a God.( when you are proficient) Why? Because you can hook up 2 batteries, grab your cables, & arc weld some sh*t right there on the trail. Excellent skill to have, go for it! R

 

I learned to weld in order to fix rusted parts of other cars. I didn’t have an XJ yet. The past year reconstruction of the XJ floors, side rails, and parts of the uniframe was the largest single welding project I’d ever done.

I started on a Century 130 mig in 2004. It works great when it works, but eventually it always burns up parts on the board and I have to order parts, wait, and rebuild it. Time better spent getting the Jeep done. So before starting the XJ I bought a Forney Easy Weld 140. It’s been an excellent welder. In both welders I run .030 flux core, for simplicity. For myself, I don’t see the need to run 220 out to the barn and buy anything bigger.

 

I already new how to weld but it definitely came in handy when I started building XJ's

 

Had some scrap aluminum angle and wanted to make a tray to mount my dometic and add a drawer/ tie down my camping gear

I eagerly picked up a cylinder of argon and some 4043 wire and tig rod

Only to learn you can't* dc tig weld aluminum (* at least not with my welder and zero experience ) so onto the hot snot gun, jam city. The guy at the welding supply store said I didn't need a Teflon liner as long as I kept the whip straight enough, Wrong.

After getting the correct liner for my gun (I ordered two) I was melting aluminum! Unfortunately it still jams on occasion but I still have a spool of 5356 I got ages ago with my first welder.

 

Yeah, definitely need to change liners for wire feed, but when the drive wheels push any resistance will birdsnest the wire. This is why spool guns are used, because the drive wheels are as close to the workpiece as possible, making jams less likely...in school we had a couple of Cobra push-pull machines, that pushed the wire from the machine, while the torch whip also had a set of drive wheels which pull the wire in sync with the machine drive rollers. Kick *** units, pricey though...better off just buying AC tig at that point lol

 

Made a rolling platform for my plasma table

 

I don't plan on going too far down the path of welding aluminum so no spool gun/ ac tig in my future just yet.

 

5356 wire is a lot more beginner friendly, got the frame for my fridge mount done just need to liberate some diamond plate from work this week.